The ancient Romans made a cup use nanotechnology

Roman made 1600 years ago can be an example of nanotechnology, experts say. Mysterious Cup, made of diachronic glass, capable of changing color from green to red, depending on the lighting.

When creating a bowl, which is exhibited in the British Museum in London, were used technology that is now called nanotechnology – controlled manipulation of materials at atomic and molecular level.

These technologies, according to scientists, can be used in a variety of fields – from diagnosis to detect bombs at airports.

After examining the broken glass bowl under the microscope, the scientists found that the Romans had infiltrated his tiny particles of silver and gold, about 50 nano meters in diameter, which is a thousand times smaller than a crystal of salt.

The exact ratio of metals and so clean chopping led experts to conclude that the Romans were the pioneers of nanotechnology.

Archaeologist Ian Freestone, of University College London, who has researched the cup and its unusual optical properties, describes the creation of the Cup “amazing feat”. Cup changes color depending on which side of the observer looks at it.

Bowl, apparently, was used for the use of drinks, in exceptional cases, and according to experts, the color changed depending on the drink, which was filled with her.

Of course, the scientists could not explore a unique cup and fill it with different liquids. And because they were forced to re-recreate the Lycurgus Cup, causing the glass to microscopic particles of gold and silver. After that, the researchers experimented with different liquids in order to figure out how to change its color.

New cup filled with water, as scientists have found, is blue, and when filling oil – bright red.

While the experiment can help archaeologists understand how the bowl, it can also help scientists to develop devices for the detection of pathogenic microorganisms in the saliva or urine, or to determine the fluids that terrorists may try to smuggle on planes.